1.24 | Dickinson College Commentaries

ἀπομύττονται δὲ μέλι δριμύτατον· κἀπειδὰν ἢ πονῶσιν ἢ γυμνάζωνται, γάλακτι πᾶν τὸ σῶμα ἱδροῦσιν, ὥστε καὶ τυροὺς ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ πήγνυσθαι, ὀλίγον τοῦ μέλιτος ἐπιστάξαντες· ἔλαιον δὲ ποιοῦνται ἀπὸ τῶν κρομμύων πάνυ λιπαρόν τε καὶ εὐῶδες ὥσπερ μύρον. ἀμπέλους δὲ πολλὰς ἔχουσιν ὑδροφόρους· αἱ γὰρ ῥᾶγες τῶν βοτρύων εἰσὶν ὥσπερ χάλαζα, καί, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ἐπειδὰν ἐμπεσὼν ἄνεμος διασείσῃ τὰς ἀμπέλους ἐκείνας, τότε πρὸς ἡμᾶς καταπίπτει ἡ χάλαζα διαρραγέντων τῶν βοτρύων. τῇ μέντοι γαστρὶ ὅσα πήρᾳ χρῶνται τιθέντες ἐν αὐτῇ ὅσων δέονται· ἀνοικτὴ γὰρ αὐτοῖς αὕτη καὶ πάλιν κλειστή ἐστιν· ἐντέρων δὲ οὐδὲν ὑπάρχειν αὐτῇ φαίνεται, ἢ τοῦτο μόνον, ὅτι δασεῖα πᾶσα ἔντοσθε καὶ λάσιός ἐστιν, ὥστε καὶ τὰ νεογνά, ἐπειδὰν ῥιγώσῃ, ἐς ταύτην ὑποδύεται.

notes

ἀπομύττονται δὲ μέλι δριμύτατον: "their noses run with very pungent honey" (lit. "they discharge from their nostrils very pungent honey;" see Jerram ad loc.). As the verb is usually intransitive, μέλι δριμύτατον could be an internal acc. (S. 1554a) or an acc. of result (S. 1578 where we find ἕλκος οὐτάσαι "to strike and thus cause a wound" [Iliad 5.361] and πρεσβεύειν τὴν εἰρήνην "go as ambassadors so as to make the peace" [Dem. 19.134]). If this is an acc. of result, it would mean "they blow their noses and thus make very pungent honey."

κἀπειδὰν ἢ πονῶσιν ἢ γυμνάζωνται: "whenever they work or exercise" (S. 2410 and 2399a). κἀπειδάν = καὶ ἐπειδάν.

πᾶν τὸ σῶμα: "over the whole body" (S. 1600 and 1601b).

ὥστε...πήγνυσθαι: "so that cheese can be made" (S. 2251, 2258, and 2260).

ὀλίγον τοῦ μέλιτος ἐπιστάξαντες: aor. part. act. of ἐπιστάζω, with instrumental force, “by letting drip a little bit of honey” (for the partitive gen. after ὀλίγον, see S. 1306 and 1310).

ὑδροφόρους: modifying ἀμπέλους, "water-producing vines."

αἱ γὰρ ῥᾶγες τῶν βοτρύων: "the grapes from clusters" (S. 1410).

ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν: "as it seems to me" (S. 2012d).

ἐπειδὰν...διασείσῃ: "whenever the wind shakes" (S. 2410 and 2399a).

διασείσῃ: aor. subj. of διασείω.

ἐμπεσὼν: aor. part. act. of ἐμπίπτω, "falling upon."

διαρραγέντων τῶν βοτρύων: "after the bunches burst" (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590). διαρραγέντων is aor. pass. part. from διαρρήγνυμι.

ὅσα πήρᾳ: "just like a purse."

οὐδὲν ὑπάρχειν αὐτῇ φαίνεται: "nothing appears to be in it."

ἐντέρων οὐδὲν...ἢ τοῦτο μόνον, ὅτι: "as regards the belly, nothing...except this alone, namely that..." (gen of connection: S. 1381; for comparative ἤ after a negative and without ἄλλο, see S. 2863a).

ὥστε καὶ τὰ νεογνά...ὑποδύεται: "so that even their children...get inside" (S. 2251, 2257, and 2274).

vocabulary

VERB LIST

ἀπομύττω: wipe one's nose; mid. blow one's nose

μέλι, -ιτος, τό: honey

δριμύς, -εῖα, -ύ: sharp, pungent

ἐπειδάν: whenever (+ subj.)

πονέω: work hard, do work

γυμνάζω: train naked, take exercise

γάλα, γάλακτος, τό: milk

ἱδρόω: sweat, perspire

τυρός, ὁ: cheese

πήγνυμι: form together, congeal, make

ἐπιστάζω: let fall in drops, instill

ἔλαιον, τό: olive-oil

κρόμμυον, τό: an onion

λιπαρός, -ά, -όν: clear, shiny

εὐώδης, -ες: sweet-smelling, fragrant

μύρον, τό: myrrh

ἄμπελος, ἡ: a vine

ὑδρόφορος, -ον: water-bearing

ῥάξ, ῥαγός, ἡ: a grape

βότρυς, -υος, ὁ: a cluster of grapes

χάλαζα, -ης, ἡ: hail

ἐμπίπτω: fall upon

ἄνεμος, ὁ: wind

διασείω: shake violently

καταπίπτω: fall or drop down

διαρρήγνυμι: burst, break apart

γαστήρ, -έρος, ἡ: the belly

πήρα, ἡ: a pocket, pouch

δέομαι: need, want (+ gen.)

ἀνοικτός, -ή, -όν: capable of being opened

κλειστός, -ή, -όν: capable of being closed

ἔντερα, τά: guts, belly

δασύς, -εῖα, -ύ: hairy, shaggy

ἔντοσθε: within, inside

λάσιος, -ον: furry, woolly

νεογνός, -ή, -όν: newborn

ῥῖγος, -ους, τό: frost, cold

ὑποδύομαι: go or get under

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